Part of the Gang
by Featherly Kisses
Summary: A girl disguises herself as a boy so that society will give her a chance, although she ends up running from the law with murders on her hands. How will she fit in when Mr. Tunstall decides to take her in. Will the boys find out who /she/ really is?
1. Chapter 1

It seemed like a long walk from the bar to my horse tied outside. I felt like a dirty pig. My brown trousers were covered with mud and holes, my black collared shirt and brown vest were equally torn, and my boots were worn and uncomfortable. They gave me blisters if I walked too much, but riding in the saddle all day wasn't any good either, if you know what I mean. The only thing that was in good shape was my brown cowboy hat, and my pistol, safely tucked into its holster on my belt.

My name is Sophia Marie Connar, although most people call me Noah. Why, you ask? My long, dirty blonde hair is tucked up into my cowboy hat. That, along with my boy's clothes, give people the impression that I am a young boy, of about eighteen, which is what I intended. My parents left me in an orphanage where I quickly discovered I was unwanted. I ran off to the local bar, disguised as a young boy, knowing that girls were not taken seriously. An older man showed me his gun, taught me how to use one. That's when I realized I could get revenge on the little town where everyone thought of me as scum. Ever since then, the sheriffs have been after me…I may have used that gun too much.

As I climbed onto my horse and gave him a quick pat on the neck, I heard horses' hooves coming fast. Now, normally, I wouldn't be concerned, everyone had a horse, but this noise was the noise of too many horses. I carefully turned in my saddle as I heard a gunshot.

"Shit!" I cursed to myself, kicking my horse into a straight gallop and pulling out my pistol.

As my horse took off, I turned in the saddle, shooting at the men. From my quick aim, I caught a glimpse of a silver medal on the lead man…a sheriff. My eyes widened as I realized who they were. I straightened back around in the saddle and turned my horse sharply. I wasn't quite sure where I was going, I just wanted to get away. I stopped my horse behind a nearby food store and jumped off, stumbling on my blistered feet. I couldn't run fast enough through the back door as I heard men jumping off their horses nearby.

My mistake was running while looking behind me as I bumped into irritated customers until the owner of the store hollered at me to leave. Before I could make it out the front door I ran into a man so hard that I actually fell to the ground. I panted like a dog, jumping back up to my feet, ready for a fast escape.

"Sorry, Sir." I apologized, about to run off but he caught my wrist.

"Come with me." He said calmly.

I froze, looking him over as men started storming in through the back door of the store. As I met the man's confident blue eyes, I traced a hint of sincerity. I didn't care, he was my only hope. He nodded and hurried me out the door where I climbed into his horse-drawn cart. He steered the horse out and eventually we managed to get far enough away, with me hiding in the back of the cart, to feel safe.

Before I could breathe a sigh of relief, the cart stopped. I sat up quickly.

"Wait, they could be following us...why did you..?" I started to ask.

"We lost them for now, but since you are safe, why don't you tell me your name."

"Tell me yours first." I retorted, my hand resting on my holster.

"No need to use that." He replied calmly, not missing a beat. "I am Mr. Tunstall. I own a ranch down the hill, where I have taken in a few wandering boys, turned them into men and in return they work and protect my land and me." He informed me wisely.

"Why are you helping me?" I snapped, still wary of him.

"Because you look like you need it, and I could use another hand at the ranch. Now, what is your name?"

"Soph…I mean, Noah." I replied. I frowned. It was unusual for me to almost give away my real name. I was so used to people calling me Noah.

"Noah." Mr. Tunstall repeated, but I could tell he knew something. "Take off your hat."

"I don't take it off…it's good luck." I lied.

He smiled. "I know what you're hiding, because I know who you are, Miss Sophia."

My jaw started to drop, but I quickly jumped from the wagon instead, pulling out my gun.

"Who the hell are you really and why do you know who I am?" I snapped, the pistol aimed at his heart.

He was very calm, but I heard a horse approaching the wagon. I didn't budge, more afraid of the man in front of me, then of one man on a horse.

"Drop the gun!" The man on horseback ordered.

I glanced over my shoulder, not recognizing the man's face in the least.

"Richard, I have the situation under control. Could you please escort this young man back to the ranch. His name is Noah." Mr. Tunstall informed the man on horseback while looking me straight in the eyes.

The so-called Richard nodded and continued to watch me with a hard look.

"Put your gun away." Richard ordered calmly.

I narrowed my eyes stubbornly and could've sworn I saw a small smile twitch across Mr. Tunstall's face.

I was about to put the pistol safely away, but I heard more horses and stepped back slowly, glaring at Mr. Tunstall and Richard.

"It's alright, Noah, it's just the rest of the boys." Mr. Tunstall informed me.

Five other men on horses came up the hill and stopped all around Mr. Tunstall's cart, scrutinizing my every move. I pointed my gun at each of them.

"Who's the kid?" Steve asked, his cheek full of chewing tobacco.

"Not a kid." I replied snidely, my gun aimed at his forehead.

Steve spit on my boots and I lifted my pistol, aiming to dislocate his jaw with the butt of the pistol, but I was quickly disarmed by a young, cunning boy.

"First rule you gotta learn, kid. We stick together…don't hurt nobody…so ease up."

I narrowed my eyes at the boy, irritated by the arrogant smirk he had plastered across his face.

"Thank you William." Mr. Tunstall smiled at the boy, turning to look at me again. "You see, Noah, they are not so bad. Allow me to formally introduce the boys; Steve Stephens, Richard Brewer, Charles Bowdre, Chavez y Chavez, Josiah Gordon Scurlock and lastly, William H. Bonney."

"Call me Billy," William cut in quickly.

"I'm not inclined to give out favors." I snapped back at him.

"Unless you'd like to lose a finger," Billy warned, pointing my own pistol at my hand which I quickly jammed into my pocket.

"Alright boys, let's head back. You will have plenty of time to chat with Noah, but there is work to be done." Mr. Tunstall dismissed.

They obeyed willingly and Billy gave me one more challenging grin, throwing my pistol back to me, before heading off down the hill with the rest of the boys.

"Hop in, I'll take you home." Mr. Tunstall instructed.

I nodded, holstering my pistol and climbing into the cart once again, letting this man take me to his home.


	2. Chapter 2

Mr. Tunstall's ranch was big enough to impress me, which was difficult at times. He had a fairly large house, definitely suitable for six wandering men and their employer. There were a few pens outside for livestock and a small barn out back where the horses were kept. I soon found out that I would be in charge of the horses.

"Keep the stalls taken care of, the horses fed, watered and clean. It's not your job to tack them. The boys can do that themselves." Mr. Tunstall informed me, showing me around the fairly large sized barn. There were ten stalls but only nine horses.

"You can settle in for now if you'd like or get started on the work. It's up to you." Mr. Tunstall smiled.

"I'll work." I replied hastily, my eyes narrowed. I didn't want anyone to think I wasn't good enough to handle hard work.

"Alright then." Mr. Tunstall dropped the reigns of the horse, pulling his cart, into my hand. "Dinner is at six." He smiled, patting my shoulder and headed for the house.

I rolled my eyes, pulling out my rusty old pocket watch. "3 o'clock." I mumbled to myself.

"Watcha got here?" Came a familiar voice and my watch was snatched from my fingers.

"Give it here, Billy." I hissed through gritted teeth.

He was perched on top of his horse, his arm resting on the saddle horn, fondling my decrepit watch in his fingers.

"With a watch like this, why, you could buy yourself some better clothes." He chuckled, his eyes lighting up with amusement.

"With a mouth like that I could afford to give you a swift kick in the head." I shot back, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you trying to challenge me?" He accused, his playful tone turning serious.

"Lay off Billy." Richard ordered, riding up beside Billy. "Give Noah the watch back."

"Well, Dick, I don't think it will do him much good whether he has it or not." Billy replied matter-of-factly.

Richard sighed, agitated. "And why not?"

"Well, Dick, firstly…it's broken and secondly…it would give Noah the perfect reason to kick me in the head." He repeated my threat so mockingly that he won an eye roll from me.

Mr. Tunstall had informed me of Billy's sense of humor along with other key personality traits of the boys. I had been told the nicknames as well. Apparently, Billy had just arrived at the ranch three months prior to my arrival and he was only about eighteen himself. He was the jokester of the group. Richard, or, Dick had taken a leadership role over the boys when Mr. Tunstall was present and it showed. Doc was the poet, the soft hearted one who tended to stay out of any trouble as much as possible. Chavez generally kept to himself but was an expert with knives and, as the boys called them, "tall tales". Then there was Dirty Steve and Charley. Steve couldn't stand Chavez and it was normal to find them throwing death threats at each other. Charley was commonly found with Steve, but for the most part, kept to himself unless provoked to joke around by Steve.

As I recalled all of this information I shot my gaze back to Dick, giving him an irritated look.

"Billy, you of all people know what it's like to be the new man." Dick tried to reason with him.

Billy only grinned, but he flipped the watch in my general direction. Dick sighed in relief, obviously tired of Billy's games. But I hated to disappoint him as I snatched my pistol from its holster, shooting the pocket watch in midair, narrowly missing a stray chicken close by. As I heard my gunshot, I was a little unnerved to hear a second one…a simultaneous shot.

I turned to Billy, his own pistol drawn. "Bullseye." Billy concluded giving me one of his laughs I would come to know so well. It was his special, contagious laugh, which bubbled into a sound resembling a banshee.

I saw Chavez lift his head from sharpening one of his many knives as Steve and Charley reached a bit too late for their guns. Doc had his rifle aimed on us, but warily dropped the barrel down as he realized the dispute.

"You owe me a new watch." I snapped.

"Enough!" Dick shot a glare at both of us. "Billy, Mr. Tunstall wouldn't be the least bit pleased with how you have treated Noah."

Billy said nothing and dipped his head in shame, although his hidden gaze fell on mine, giving me a smirk. He slid down off his horse, pulling his shoulders back and pressing his horse's reigns into my palm after I had holstered my pistol.

"Better get to work…stable boy." Billy chuckled.

"You too…have fun cleaning up pig shit." I shot back. "All shit belongs in the same place anyway." I turned angrily, pulling his horse along to the stable as I heard a ripple of laughter from some of the boys.


	3. Chapter 3

The work didn't take long, although it seemed longer than it actually was. I decided on that day that one horse was enough to take care of…nine was way over the limit. My feet were absolutely throbbing as I stumbled into the house, following the directions that Mr. Tunstall had given me as to where my room was. It was a small room with two beds. I had found out that I would be sharing the room…with none other than William H. Bonney.

I grumbled, making sure Billy wasn't anywhere within a five foot radius to make fun of my discomfort. I closed the door lightly and took a long look at myself in the mirror. I hadn't changed much in the past few years. It was fairly simple to pass off as a boy, especially with my hair tucked away. The roundness of my young face, had sharpened slightly with teenage years, but if one looked close enough, I suppose one could claim I was a girl. My voice was naturally a little husky which was easy enough for one to believe I was just a boy whose voice hadn't quite matured all the way. The hardest part was my chest, to be perfectly honest. I had a hell of time cutting up one of the few corsets I had ever owned to keep my chest as smooth as possible beneath the loose shirt I wore.

I glanced around the room one more time before pulling off my boots and throwing them on the floor; stupid worn out boots. I peeled off my socks and sure enough blisters had taken their place on many inches of my feet. I took off the cowboy hat, my dirty blonde hair tumbling down about my shoulders in curls. I had a clean shirt picked out as I slowly unbuttoned my collared shirt, finding it hard to believe how tired I was.

"Need a hand?" Came a familiar voice, a hand slipping onto my shoulder.

"No I….Billy!" I almost screamed, spinning around, clinging my shirt tightly around myself. "What are you doing..don't you knock…Billy!" I raged. I turned, realizing my pistol was on the bed. This was ridiculous, how could I be this careless?! I had never lived in a house with anyone since the orphanage and it wasn't common for someone to walk in a room without knocking first. As I reached for my pistol I heard the familiar click of a loaded gun by my ear. I ground my teeth together, turning around to face Billy.

"A little slow." Billy chuckled, his eyes looking me over. "Well I'll be damned."

I shook my head, having trouble meeting his amused eyes.

"So what's your real name…Noah?" He interrogated, the smile never leaving his face, nor the gun from my cheek.

"That's none of your business!" I snapped.

"Boys…dinner!" Mr. Tunstall's voice called from the dining room.

"Dinner and a show." Billy laughed, holstering his gun.

"Billy I swear, if you tell any of them I will personally blow your brains out all over the walls and you will fall dead on your back as they eat around your lifeless body!" I snarled with such viciousness that I surprised myself.

"Hmph…we'll see." Was all he replied as he smirked and walked out the door.

I wanted to scream so badly, but I bit my tongue, changing my clothes quickly. I tucked my hair back into my hat and slipped on my uncomfortable boots once more, walking to the little living room that opened into the dining room. I sat down in one of the few plush chairs, resting my legs over one of the arms.

The boys were all seated and Billy was giving me teasing looks, that childish gleam in his eyes that revealed he had a secret. I waited as Mr. Tunstall placed food in front of the boys and took his seat at the head of the table. He paused and then turned slowly around in his chair to look at me.

"Noah." He waited for me to look up. "Wouldn't you like something to eat?"

"No thanks…not hungry." I replied, cleaning the dirt from my fingernails.

"Noah…we only eat when everyone is seated at the table, regardless if one does not feel hungry."

I though that he was joking, I mean, who waits on the whole household to sit down in order to eat? So, I sat and continued to clean my nails until the silence was too much. My gaze wandered back to Mr. Tunstall who had his back turned to me once again to address the boys.

"Well boys, until Noah joins us we will not be eating." Mr. Tunstall informed them casually.

Six pairs of hungry eyes flashed to my face and I sighed exasperated, "Ok, ok!"

I got up and sat down to the left of Mr. Tunstall with Doc on my right.

"Why don't you pray, Noah?" Mr. Tunstall asked, but it wasn't really a question.

I was about to argue but Steve gave me a sour look and I hastily said a prayer. After, everyone passed around the food which I didn't take any of, as I had said, I wasn't hungry.

The conversation was dull and I wasn't going to be the first to admit that the job I was given was difficult. I decided to keep my mouth shut, but as I expected, Billy would not tolerate that.

As Mr. Tunstall was asking Doc about his day, Billy turned to me with a devious sparkle in his mischievous eyes.

"Pass the gravy miss?" Billy asked politely, giving me a wink.

I could see the quickly hidden look of surprise flash across Mr. Tunstall's face as I put my hand to my face in annoyance.

"Now Billy, it's not polite to call Noah names." Mr. Tunstall said sternly.

"Who's calling her…I mean, him…names?" Billy smirked, staring directly at me as I sunk lower in my chair.

At this point all eyes were on me and I hated the attention.

"Shut your mouth, Billy." I muttered under my breath.

"Calm down." Doc chuckled lightly. I could see him trying to look at me beneath my hand that was hiding my face from view. "He's just being Billy…ignore him." Doc urged.

"Please miss?" Billy insisted.

Mr. Tunstall was about to speak but I slammed my fist on the table, making Dirty Steve jump.

"Get it yourself!" I yelled, glaring at Billy, my hand balled into a fist on the table.

Billy stood up, the smirk never leaving his childish face as he walked up behind my chair and reached over my shoulder for the gravy. As he pulled his arm back, he flicked his elbow and my hat fell to the floor, my hair spilling onto my shoulders.

Before anyone reacted I was on my feet with my pistol resting against Billy's head, but unluckily for me, Billy had predicted my move and his own gun was against my head, the gravy boat shattered across the floor at our feet.


End file.
